The Osceola times., 1887-03-19
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
How the Kitchen and Cooking Utensils
Can BE Kept In n Bright Condition.

Can he Kept In a Bright Condition.
If your chopping-bowl, etc, have ;he
taste of onions clinging to them,
nothing removes this most offensive
odor as well as good securing with
wood ashes. This cheap and ever
handy commodity will also keep tins
and steel bright, if you are ever SO stu
ated that sapoio is not easily procured.
Our great-grandmothers always used
this simple material for securing tins,
ETC., and who has not heard of their
well-descryed and boastcd reputation
for shining and spotless kitchen uten-
sils? Put little washing soda and
soft soap in the wat in which your
iron pots and pans are to be washed,
and you will find the grease comes Off
quite readily. Copper utensils need
the greatest care, as verdi! lis is 50 apt
to collect upon them. If once n week
you will scald them with hot vinegar,
and then wash in clear hot water, you
will find that they give you very little.
if any, trouble. A very simple and eff
fectivc mode of cleaning the grid-iron
is to place it on the fire and allow it to
become hot. then rub each separate wire
with a crust of dry bread, and you
will find that this will take off much OF
the black which still remains after the
regular washing in hot suds. In dry
ing cooking utens Is, do not stand them
on the fire, as this is apt to burn empty
vessels. but let them stand near the fire
for few minutes. aud it will dry them
so thoroughly that it will prevent them
from rusting. Have you ever used
what is called an "iron dish-clothg"
II you have, | feel sure | need not
recommended it; but if not, let me say
that | know nothing else of the kind
which will save more time and pat
tience. BY the use of this dish-cloth
you can dispense with that disagrcea-
BILE process, knife-scraping. in cleans
ing cooking utensils. Keep pot and
pan holders always in the kitchen. il
you would save your dish-towels from
being used for handling greasy cook
ing vessels. You can make them the
same as iron-holders are made, only
they require to be at least double the
size Of the latter.
II you have occasion to close your
house for any length of time, and you
fear your iron-ware and stove may rust,
rub them all over thoroughly with
sweet oil, or. wat is rs good and
cheaper, lard without salt Our mod
ern tubs and pals, being made of many
pieces of wood held together by bands
of metal, shrink and fall apart unless
kept either in damp place or allowed
to stand with little water in them.
Next let US proceed to the sink, which
is often much neglected.. 1t should
frequently be scrubbed out with wash
ing soda, and once In n while pour
down the pipes pail of hot suds with
teaspoonful ofpotash or washing soda
dissolved in it. This will eat away the
grease which must collect in the pipes
more or less, and which. if left there,
will cause sewer gas TO find its way in
TO the kitchen. In very many houses
there are closets under the kitchen
sinks. which are often used TO keep
large pots and pans in. This
is a most unhealthy as well
as untidy practice, for there is always
more or less of this household enemy,
sewer gas, escaping through the pipes
which run through this closet; and also
these same closets are n favolito resort
of watcr-bugs. The reasons are obyi-
ous why this is no place to keep YES
sells in which food is constantly cooked.
A sure, if slow, cure for water-bugs is
n mixture Of two-thirds borax and one
third sugar. OF course insect powder.
etc, will rid you of these nuisar ces,
but | dislike poisons used about the
kitchen, and therefore recommend the
above. Red ants are driven aw.y by
sprinkling red pepper about.
Let the pantry and china closet
shelves be at least busted aud wiped off
during the Saturday morning cleaning.
and keep these same shelves nratly
covered with either white Or brown
paper ChriStian Union.
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